Bringing Good Luck to your Husband in the 70s - Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Helping with Work

Old Lady Han laughed in anger. “Since you ask why your eldest brother-in-law got a bicycle when he got married but you didn’t, then let me give you a proper answer. Your eldest brother-in-law found the ticket himself, and he paid for the bicycle with his own money. He used his own ration ticket so why shouldn’t he buy one? As for you, why didn’t you get a bicycle? Because when you married into this family, the third son didn’t have a single penny in his hand. How could he possibly have bought you one? Not only did he have no money for a bicycle, even the fifty yuan your family demanded as a bride price was paid with the money your eldest brother-in-law earned. Everything used for your wedding banquet, all of it was bought with your eldest brother-in-law’s money! And now you still have the nerve to complain about not getting a bicycle?”

Han Lao-san flushed with embarrassment under the old lady’s words. He wished he could crawl into a hole. Han Lao-er also felt extremely uncomfortable. He shot his wife a fierce glare, warning her not to stir up more trouble. Han Lao-er’s wife, cowed by his stare, dared not say another word.

Old Lady Han continued relentlessly. “Which of you brothers ever bought anything for your wives with your own ability? Have I, as your mother, ever objected? As long as you can make money, I’d support you even if you wanted to buy your wife a bicycle. The key is that you have to have the ability! Third daughter-in-law, you want a bicycle? Fine. Let your man buy you one. Don’t you have a few hundred yuan from the family division? Use that and buy it yourself.”

“How could I possibly do that!” Han’s third daughter-in-law snapped back immediately. She absolutely couldn’t use the money they had just divided from the family to buy a bicycle. Bitter and unconvinced, she said, “Eldest brother-in-law hasn’t been in the army for so long, and he’s spent so much money treating his legs. Where would he get the money? Mother, stop lying to us! That bicycle was clearly bought with the money you earned from making pastries. You used it so your eldest son could marry. We also got married, so why didn’t you buy us a bicycle back then? You’re clearly being biased!”

“Fine! Fine! You insist on making trouble with me, don’t you? Then today I’ll tell you everything!” Old Lady Han trembled with anger, her hands shaking as she pointed at her daughter-in-law and spoke each word with force. “If you don’t want to believe that the money was your eldest brother’s, then don’t. Believe it or not, I don’t care. But if you say I’m biased, then I’ll admit it today, I am biased! I like your eldest brother-in-law’s wife! If you can’t accept that, too bad! Su Yue is a hundred times better than you in knowledge, in looks, and in character. Not to mention her abilities. She can earn money, and when she earns, our whole family benefits. And you? What can you do? What right do you have to compare yourself to her?!”

She hadn’t expected the old lady to admit her preference so openly, much less to compare her directly to Su Yue in front of everyone. Han’s third daughter-in-law felt so ashamed and angry that her face burned. She wanted to argue back, but not a single word came out because deep down, she knew she really couldn’t compare to Su Yue in any aspect.

Old Lady Han then turned her sharp gaze on the second daughter-in-law. “Second daughter-in-law, I can see it too. You’re not convinced, are you?”

The second daughter-in-law quickly forced a calm smile. “Mother, I… I’m not.”

“You know that yourself.” Old Lady Han waved her hand dismissively. “I’ll make it clear today: the family has already been divided. I gave you what was owed to you. What I have in my hands now, and whatever I will have in the future, including the money your eldest and fourth brothers earn, none of it has anything to do with you. We’ll spend it however we please and buy whatever we want. It’s not your place to criticize! If you don’t like it, then go build your own house and live on your own.”

Seeing how furious his mother was, Han Lao-san blushed with shame. He quickly said, “Mother, don’t be angry. Gu Ming was talking nonsense. Just treat what she said as farts. Don’t argue with her. I’ll deal with her later.”

He then dragged his wife forcefully back into their room, slammed the door shut, and tossed her onto the bed.

“What do you think you’re doing, Han Aidang!” the third daughter-in-law cried furiously, stars dancing in her vision.

“What am I doing? I should be asking what you’re doing!” Han Lao-san’s chest heaved with anger. “We’ve already split the family. What business is it of yours if eldest brother buys something for his wife? And yet you’re still jealous, what right do you have to be jealous?”

Han’s third daughter-in-law scrambled off the bed and charged at him, pounding her fists against his chest while shouting, “Why don’t I have the right? Your mother is so biased! She only thinks of your eldest brother in everything, and you’re left with nothing! When Su Yue gets to marry in, she buys a bicycle, but when I married in, all I got was two sets of clothes! Am I so worthless?”

Han Lao-san seized her arm and flung it aside, his face dark with rage. “That money was earned by my eldest brother! He has every right to spend it however he wants. I didn’t have the money or the ability to buy you a bicycle. Since you’re so dissatisfied, fine then let’s divorce. Go find a man who can buy you one!”

“You!” Han’s third daughter-in-law covered her face and began to sob. “You Han family people all look down on me! You bully me! You take me for granted!”

Han Lao-san snorted. “What’s so great about you? You can’t compete with anyone. You’ve got no ability, so why embarrass yourself?”

“You bastard, Han Aidang!” she screamed through her tears.

But Han Lao-san ignored her. He turned his back, lay down on the bed, and let her cry.

Outside, hearing the commotion from their room, Han Lao-er felt unsettled. He quickly pulled his own wife into their room, determined to lecture her properly. She must not repeat the same mistakes as her third sister-in-law.

In the yard, only Old Lady Han, Han Aiguo, and Han Aimin remained, aside from the children. Han Aimin sighed heavily, depressed by his sisters-in-law’s constant fussing. Why did they make such a ruckus every day? What did it matter to them if eldest brother bought his wife a bicycle?

He swore that when he looked for a wife in the future, he would never marry someone like his second or third sister-in-law. Otherwise, he’d live with a constant headache. Better to find someone like his eldest sister-in-law who is capable, but not overbearing.

Han Aiguo walked over to his mother, gently rubbing her shoulders. In a deep voice, he said, “Mother, thank you for all your hard work.” Over the years, he hadn’t been at home, and only now did he realize how much his mother had to endure every single day.

“What’s hard about it?” Old Lady Han shook her head. “I just hope you settle down soon. Only then can I be at ease.”

Han Aiguo patted her shoulder. “Mother, I’ll go speak with the party secretary later and ask him to grant homesteads to Second and Third Brother as soon as possible, so they can move out and build their own houses. From then on, you’ll be able to live in peace.”

The old lady nodded quickly. She no longer wanted to live crammed together with her sons and daughters-in-law after the division of the family. The endless disputes gave her headaches. “Go, go ask him. See if he’ll approve it faster.”

“He will; the party secretary values patriotism very highly,” Han Aiguo said.

That very afternoon, Han Aiguo went to speak with the party secretary. As expected, as soon as Han Aiguo mentioned it, the secretary agreed. Within two days, the vacant land near the Han family’s house was approved as homesteads for Han Lao-er and Han Lao-san to build new houses.

When the conversation turned to Han Aiguo, one woman immediately glanced toward Su Yue, who was working not far away, and teased, “Why even bring up the Wang family’s daughter? The eldest of the Han family already has a new sweetheart.”

The others perked up at once. “I’ve heard that too! They say Han Aiguo and Su Yue are seeing each other. Is it true?”

Qian Guihua quickly jumped in, eager to share. “Of course it’s true. I saw it with my own eyes. The two of them came back from town together, laughing and chatting the whole way. They even bought a bicycle together! Just watch their marriage is probably right around the corner.”

“Really? Since when did those two fall in love?”

“Oh my heavens, Su Yue is so beautiful. And she’s actually willing to marry into our village? Don’t they always say the educated youths look down on us country folk?”

“What’s wrong with marrying someone from the village? Han Aiguo is handsome and an officer. Plenty of girls would be overjoyed to marry him. It’s no surprise Su Yue took a liking to him.”

The group of women grew more and more animated, their chatter tumbling over one another.

Han Qingsong’s face darkened, veins standing out on the hand gripping his shovel. He snapped at them, “Enough! Keep quiet. This is the worksite, not a market stall. If anyone gossips here again, I’ll deduct your work points!”

Threatened with losing points, the women quickly fell silent, confused why they could gossip freely before but not today.

Han Qingsong turned toward Su Yue. After pressing his lips together for a moment, he finally strode over, cleared his throat, and said stiffly, “Su Yue, come with me. I need to speak with you.”

Seeing his serious expression, Su Yue assumed it was something important and followed him to a quiet slope by the ditch. “Captain, what is it?”

Qingsong stared greedily at her delicate face, his throat tightening as he forced his tone to stay even. “There are rumors in the village that you and Han Aiguo are in a relationship. Is it true? If people are spreading lies and damaging your reputation, I’ll stand up for you. You can’t let them spout nonsense like this.”

Su Yue was momentarily stunned. She knew people had been whispering about her and Han Aiguo, but she hadn’t taken it seriously. After all, she was truly seeing him.

With a smile and a touch of deliberate shyness, she said, “Captain, they’re not making it up. I really am in a relationship with Comrade Han Aiguo, and we’re planning to marry soon.”

Han Qingsong froze, staring at her blankly.

Su Yue sighed inwardly. She knew what he was feeling, but some things simply couldn’t be forced. All she could do was apologize silently in her heart: I’m sorry.

“You… Su Yue, are you really going to marry Han Aiguo? Do you truly like him?” His voice was hoarse, as if something was lodged in his throat.

Su Yue nodded without hesitation. “Of course I like him. Why else would I marry him?”

It felt as though a heavy hand squeezed Han Qingsong’s chest, stifling and painful. Regret washed over him like a tide. He regretted not seizing the chance when he first fell for her, not confessing his feelings, not fighting for her, now only to hand her over to someone else. If he had spoken up earlier, pursued her sooner, would she be the one standing by his side now?

Unwillingness churned in him, finally pushing him to voice what he had long held back. “Su Yue, I want to tell you, actually I—”

“Su Yue!” A voice suddenly cut in, stopping him cold.

Han Qingsong turned and saw Han Aiguo standing not far away.

Su Yue breathed a sigh of relief. “Captain, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.” Without waiting for him to respond, she turned and jogged to Han Aiguo. “Why are you here?”

Han Aiguo gave Han Qingsong a brief nod, then led Su Yue away. After they had gone a good distance, he asked quietly, “What did he want with you?”

Su Yue chuckled. “He just asked about our relationship.”

“And what did you say?”

She tilted her head with a playful smile. “What do you think I said?”

His brow furrowed, voice dropping low. “Don’t see him again. His intentions aren’t pure.”

Su Yue’s heart gave a little jolt. So he already knows? She looked at him curiously. “Wait, you know?”

Han Aiguo didn’t answer. He only picked up her shovel in silence.

Watching him, Su Yue was puzzled. She didn’t know when he had realized Han Qingsong’s feelings toward her, but that wasn’t the point. What mattered now was soothing his jealousy quickly.

“Alright, alright, don’t be jealous. I just told everyone I like Comrade Han Aiguo, and that I’ll marry Comrade Han Aiguo in this life. No other man will do.”

At that, Han Aiguo paused, the corners of his lips lifting slightly as his brows eased.

Su Yue grinned secretly and poked his back. “What are you doing? Why did you take my shovel?”

Han Aiguo raised it and began working in her place. “I’m helping you. Go rest.”

“I can do it myself. Your leg still isn’t healed,” Su Yue whispered, embarrassed as she noticed how many people were sneaking glances their way.

He pointed toward the ridge nearby. “If you won’t go home, at least sit there for a while. You really can’t handle this work.”

She opened her mouth to argue, then sighed as he was right. She really couldn’t.

Winter was approaching, and though there wasn’t much fieldwork left, the team was busy enriching the soil. They dug river mud and hauled manure to fertilize the land. It was dirty, smelly, and physically exhausting. Su Yue’s delicate body was wholly unsuited for it. Even though she was given lighter tasks, she still worked hard every day, her palms blistered from gripping the shovel.

The people around her chuckled at the sight and teased:

“Su Yue, your man is really helping you out. Go rest and let him show off a bit.”

“Haha, exactly! That’s what partners are for.”

“You’re lucky, Su Yue. Not everyone finds a man like that.”

Their laughter and ribbing made Su Yue’s cheeks burn, but she was thick-skinned enough not to let it bother her. Finally, she relented and sat off to the side, watching as Han Aiguo worked in her stead.

Han Aiguo’s tall frame and long limbs moved with power and precision. Each stroke of his shovel was strong, his tendons flexing under his sleeves. Where Su Yue could only dig a small portion at a time, he filled a shovel to the brim with ease, piling mud neatly into the baskets in seconds. His speed outpaced even the men carrying the loads.

Compared to the other workers, his skill and strength were striking.

Su Yue watched him with eyes full of admiration.

Not far away, several female educated youths were also working. Among them, Zhao Fang looked at Su Yue sitting leisurely while her man labored for her, and jealousy burned hot in her chest. Why should they both be educated youths sent down to the countryside, yet Su Yue had someone to pamper her while she had to toil from dawn to dusk at these filthy, exhausting tasks?

Why! Was it only because Su Yue had the kind of body that lured men in?

Her lip curled in disdain as she muttered bitterly, “Some people are shameless. They won’t do the work themselves, always relying on men instead. And here I thought women were supposed to hold up half the sky, no worse than men. But some people… well, they just like to cling to men. Tch. What a joke.”